While we’re on the subject of dogs, I could just kick myself at not patenting some of the make-do things we came up with when Kiwi, my paralyzed dachshund, was alive.
Like doggie strollers. When I was doing a commuter marriage thing for awhile back in ‘97, Kiwi and Snickers and Fritz would sometimes come up and stay with me at the cheap-o apartment I rented in New Jersey. I had to take the big dogs out several times a day and she always wanted to come with us, but she walked pretty slow in her wheeled cart. Finally I bought an umbrella stroller and fitted it out with a basket strapped to the seat. She rode in the basket and barked at everyone as if to say “Look at me! Look at me!” We got a lot of double takes and strange looks, but it was an awesome solution.
Now if you look at pet supply catalogs or take a trip through Petsmart, there are two dozen different doggie stroller designs, running up to a couple of hundred dollars. And everyone laughed at my setup, which cost about $25.
Then there was dealing with the bathroom habits of an incontinent dog. Puppy training pads took care of most of it, but she slept in bed with us for nearly 10 years after she became paralyzed and I wanted some assurances. So, after some trial and error, Huggies #3 became a staple in my grocery cart. Kiwi knew when we got ready for bed to roll over on her back and I’d fasten a diaper on her. She also learned the age-old mommy technique of getting a finger stuck in the diaper to see if it needed changing.
Now they make doggie diapers in all sizes. Seriously. Disposable AND washable. Even little pants to go over them.
Did you ever think we’d see the day?
